On Dec. 4, Belle Plaine’s most senior firefighter Todd Otto was named the Fire Fighter of the Year by the Belle Plaine Fire Department. Otto himself may have been the most surprised by the decision.
“It was just kind of a blank thought in my mind,” Otto recounted of the awards ceremony from within the fire department’s garage. “It was basically a shock.”
Otto, who will see his 22nd year in Belle Plaine’s fire department in June, has in the past served as fire chief and has engaged in numerous community engagement projects revolving around fire safety and education. In addition to these rolls, Otto has now undertaken the roll of managing BPFD’s medical supplies, he said.
Though Otto said he was surprised, the choice for firefighter of the year was a clear one for BPFD’s current leadership.